1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of gate valves and more particularly, to a device that is employed in conjunction with recreational vehicles (“RV”) and the like to enhance and improve the ability of the cable actuator to be installed and secured steadfast to the RV.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gate valves have a variety of applications, including their use in conjunction with RV holding tanks that contain solid and liquid waste materials. Manual or electrically operated gate valve assemblies include a valve body in which a gate is actuated by a wire cable connected to a valve stem extending from the gate. For manual operation, the cable is generally attached to a handle, which can be manipulated forwards or backwards to move the gate in and out of the valve opening. Valves of the sort being discussed here are now more likely to be operated from a remote and more convenient location, usually somewhere outside the vehicle mounted on a control panel together with water and electrical connections.
The problem in the prior art occurs in the attempt at facilitating installation of the gate valve assembly to the RV. Efficiency and speed is always paramount when producing just about any kind of product, especially vehicles like the RV and its components. Fewer manipulations and steps employed in the installation of components to an RV, such as the gate valve assembly, translates into a savings in time and labor which, in turn, reduces the cost of production and increases the “bottom line.”
The prior art teaches a number of devices that are attached to conventional gate valves and their housings, including, for example, those that are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,802 to Lunder and U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,286 B1 to Vegso, et al. These devices are typically called cable assemblies and are connected at one end to the gate valve and at the other end to a handle, which causes the cable to move in and out, to open and close the gate valve.
The gate valve, when used in an RV, is usually installed somewhere underneath the vehicle not far from the source of the waste material, such as a holding tank for waste product produced from a toilet or shower. Installing the handle in close proximity to the gate valve requires a person to get low to the ground, usually beneath the vehicle, possibly even on one's hands and knees to reach in or over to grab the handle and move it in the direction required to open and close the valve. This is inconvenient, messy and sometimes just simply difficult to do. Accordingly, to make the process easier and cleaner for the operator, the handle is typically installed through an opening in a panel integrated into the side or back of the vehicle, and projects and is secured to the outside to permit the user easy access.
Cable assemblies that are pre-attached to the gate valve can easily be installed in the vehicle by simply guiding the free cable end through the opening in the panel, securing the cable end to the panel and then attaching an actuator handle to the cable end on the outside. Methods like this are utilized typically when the length of the cable is already pre-determined and, thus, the cable may be pre-attached to the gate valve before installation. Pre-attached assemblies also permit the installer the benefit of having to make only one trip underneath the vehicle for the installation.
However, in order to install pre-attached assemblies of this type, the prior art requires the user to employ a large nut and washer (i.e. larger in diameter than the opening in the panel) to the threaded portion of the cable end protruding outside the panel and then rotate the nut from outside the panel to tighten the joint to secure the cable to the vehicle. The handle then needs to be connected to complete the installation. All this requires a lot of unnecessary time and labor to accomplish.
The improvement of the present invention provides the means to efficiently install a cable assembly, which is already pre-attached at one end to the gate valve, from the inside of the panel to the outside employing fewer steps and taking considerably less time and effort in the process.